


Muse

by spockside



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: First Contact, Gen, Music, POV Original Character, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-07
Updated: 2012-03-07
Packaged: 2017-11-01 15:13:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/358277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spockside/pseuds/spockside
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She could survive longer than the memories of any race she knew - in her own world. In this one, who knew? No sun, no music, no water. Only darkness and stone and metal. How could she even speak, let alone call for help? And who would hear her?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Muse

She was cold, colder than she'd ever been, colder than the darkest depths of her ocean, and alone. No sun, no music, no water. Only darkness and stone and metal. How could she even speak, let alone call for help? And who would hear her?

The rest of them were dead. She didn't miss them. They weren't her kind, and it was their fault she was marooned here, alone in the broken ship. She hadn't killed them, but she had faith that their decease was right with the universe.

She ached, but was otherwise uninjured. She could survive longer than the memories of any race she knew - in her own world. In this one, who knew?

She could find some comfort in temporary oblivion; she lay her head on her appendages and slept.

When she awoke, she could hear a faint chime from far offworld, not as far as her world, but coming closer. She breathed in the sound and sensed organic life. Hope sparked inside her. Moving out of the broken ship, she rose to her full height, listening for its direction, and then opened her voice.

She sang only briefly, then listened again. The chime grew closer. Confident that it was approaching her location, she settled on the hard, lifeless stone with her face turned up to the stars.

It seemed only moments in her life before the chime was nearing its strongest signal. Once more she raised her voice, then paused to listen. The chime had become steady; it was circling the cold planetoid on which she sat. She couldn't be sure it had heard her. She didn't even know whether this race had aural sensory organs. Surely the vibrations could be felt, at least. She lifted her head and called again, longer -

She had not finished her call when a being - three beings - materialized before her. Their presence did not dismay her; rather, her voice became more joyful and grateful. Still, they seemed wary and still. Perhaps they were waiting for her to finish in order to communicate.

She brought her sequence to a close unhurriedly and sank back down. Even so, she was taller than the tallest of the three. She studied them, as they were surely studying her, in silence.

They were bipeds, like those who had stolen her and died in the crash. These wore different garments and had shorter hair. She felt sad for them; wasn't hair considered powerful in their world? If so, did that mean they were slaves? She came back from her musing to find the tallest had approached to within reach of her arm. Binocular. It reached out an appendage and she gladly extended her own.

Its touch was warm, hairless, fewer digits than her own. But it wasn't the tactile impression that intrigued her; the being was sensing her consciousness, unusual for a creature obviously equipped with vocal organs. Laughter bubbled up in her and she wrapped her appendages around the being.

The other two bipeds leaped toward her, making loud peremptory vocal noises, but the one in her arms held up an appendage and they stopped and waited. Their comrade tilted his head at an odd angle and uttered a very short sound. She sensed overwhelming curiosity, high intelligence - and something she grasped at in great excitement.

She caught herself before she could overwhelm them with her babbling and withdrew her arms from the tall being. It held out its appendage again with a device of some kind and she felt it hum through her, harmlessly. It tickled.

The being turned and communicated with its companions, then turned back to her and held out both its appendages. She took them delicately and sensed its consciousness again. It was trying to communicate - trust? reassurance? It certainly seemed more benevolent than her captors. She decided to trust them and sent agreement through the connection.

The tall being was gesturing toward the sky and expressing the concept of going there. Well, she could try. Releasing its appendages, she leaped up and soon the bald planetoid appeared diminished below her. She sailed to the zenith of her arc and gracefully skimmed to a landing in exactly the same spot from which she had launched. The bipeds were all silent and wore similar expressions, of what she did not know. Then the tall one uttered that short sound again.

She reached to touch its head and it allowed her to do so. It was very smooth and shiny and apparently the only part of the bipeds with hair. She felt the same thing that had excited her earlier and this time she stayed in physical contact with the being, trying to communicate that excitement. It suddenly began to emit a sound she had heard before, from other beings, that indicated joy or amusement, but mingled with the joy was - fear? embarrassment?

She made as if to withdraw her touch, but the creature reached up to still her appendage and closed its eyes, and it began to make a familiar sound. It was producing a rudimentary hum, in a simple sequence that repeated several times. She didn't try to make sense of it, but let her consciousness absorb it. When the being stopped, one of its companions said something and the tall one opened its eyes and replied. It turned back to look at her and she felt through her appendages that it had been chastised.

Once again, the being gestured to the sky and this time pictured a silver ship, much larger than the one that had been broken. In turn she pictured herself sailing, but unable to reach high enough to fly to the ship. The being moved its head up and down and pictured itself vanishing, then reappearing inside the ship. Then it pictured her - she presumed that was how she appeared to them! - going through the same process.

Anxiety over attempting this process rushed through her and into the one with whom she was communicating. It was followed by fear that she would be left here alone again, along with sadness at the necessity of terminating this interesting encounter.

The tall one was silent for several minutes. She waited, her appendage still on its head. Then it moved its head again and projected resolve and reassurance. It turned and walked back to its companions, breaking the contact, and she settled once more on the stone and amused herself trying to imitate the humming sound it had emitted earlier.

The bipeds completed their conversation and the tall one returned to stand beside her and gestured to his people. She reached out an appendage toward her new companion and it met her partway. It pictured a smaller ship, in which its friends would return, to help her fly to the larger ship. She projected relief and curiosity and gratitude, particularly for its remaining with her to clarify matters.

As she watched, the other two shimmered out of view and she recognized this as the reverse of how they had appeared earlier. Then she began humming its sounds and it hummed with her, following with a little effort as she improvised.

*

The smaller ship was quick to arrive. It landed on a slab of stone fifty meters away, and her companion turned with her appendage in his and made a gesture of invitation. She raised herself from the stone and flowed across the planetoid's surface to pause next to the ship. The entrance was open and she peered inside. It was very dark; these beings seemed to have a low tolerance, or perhaps little need, for more intense light. There were her friend's previous companions, along with another being which sat at what looked like the controls, and another yet who was quite different in appearance from the others.

This one was smaller, had a different shape, longer hair. And its skin! It was a beautiful color, like the sand on her own shore. She reached out an appendage and the being stood very still as she touched its face, its hair, and then the being made the sound she could tell now was their laughter, and she sensed joy and friendship through their physical connection. Something about this one reminded her of the tall one.

The tall one entered the ship after her and spoke to the one in the area near the transparent portion of the vehicle. She had seen such ships before her unfortunate abduction; they all seemed built on the same design, same colors, same materials. She settled into a corner and wondered how long this journey would be. Were they taking her home? How would they know where her home was? Where else could they be taking her?

She had begun to feel rather anxious. The tall one came over to her and knelt beside her, touching her appendage and radiating peace and reassurance. She felt the same familiarity as when she had touched the smaller one, and she sent back an inquiry, picturing this being and the smaller one side by side. She sensed amusement and admiration, and the being affirmed that it and the smaller one were associated in some way different from their association with the others.

She didn't know why that made her happy.

*

Only a short time later, the small ship approached and entered a larger ship, the one emitting the chime she had sensed earlier. The bipeds exited the small ship and stood waiting while she cautiously emerged into a very large space with sides and a floor. She was glad of its size; the other ship had made her feel small and frightened.

She saw the tall being and the smaller one moving toward a portal and felt unreasonably apprehensive. Before she could even reach out an appendage, the tall one stopped and turned to face her. After a moment, it came back and reached out to touch her, the smaller one following but not touching, and she expressed a wave of relief. The tall one spoke and the smaller one touched it with its own appendage -

And a wave of clarity flowed through her. She was able to sense more specific emotions, thoughts, images. The smaller one removed its appendage from the other being and stepped back, startled, but she reached out to wrap herself around the smaller one, not pulling, but asking. The smaller one let out a sound and spoke to the tall one, who seemed rooted to the spot.

Both of the bipeds drew closer and joined their appendages as they were joined with hers. The clarity returned. She drank in information from them and surged with happiness. The tall one was male, the smaller one female. They were different species. They were a mated pair. They were considered young in their worlds. They were explorers. The tall one radiated calm and control, the smaller one excitement and curiosity.

They weren't able to fly without a machine of some kind, but with them they could fly farther than she had ever been. They had never seen her kind before. They had many questions.

She laughed and sent them her thoughts. Here is where I am from. I am female. I can fly as far as there is something I can breathe. I don't know how old I am or what my species call themselves. I have no mate. I was stolen from my home by the other bipeds. I am grateful for your help.

She repeated the last thought many times. The smaller one - the female - seemed to become disoriented and let go of her mate's appendage, and he sent a thought back that the communication was more difficult for his mate than for himself. His thoughts had gained definition during the brief three-way contact and she found she could understand him better now. She reached out to touch the female's face and sent comfort and chagrin, and the female's face changed and she sent back reassurance.

The male was asking her whether she required sustenance. She replied in the negative and queried whether she could stay in this large room while on their ship. He requested more information and she showed him her world, with its bright illumination and vast open sky.

She had so many questions, but she could tell they were both fatigued and she herself could do with rest. She released both of their appendages and sank back onto the floor, curling herself up for a long sleep. The two bipeds uttered something, then joined their appendages and went out, leaving her alone in the great room, content.

*

When she awoke, she sensed a change in the motion of the ship. She perused her surroundings and found the male biped seated on the floor beside her. Reaching out to contact him, she bade him a welcome and he returned the greeting. She repeated that she had many questions. The male looked steadily at her and expressed his willingness to communicate.

She twined her appendages around him once more, as she had on the planetoid, and sensed him more deeply. His thoughts were relatively accessible; his emotions were elusive and danced just beyond the point where she could sense clearly. She retreated slightly, not wanting to intrude.

The male asked her more about her home, its environment, its cycles. Then he inquired about their means of communication, whether there were something other than the meeting of minds, and she expressed simply that they sang. He seemed surprised. She lifted herself from the deck and began a quiet croon, grounded in the strain they had been humming together before. He emitted the brief comment that seemed to be his favorite and pulled out a small device, into which he spoke.

A short time later, his mate entered with a curious artifact in her arms. It was made from organic material, flat, decorated, with strings stretched over it. The male settled it in his lap as the female sat beside him, and he drew his appendages over the strings. The sound that emerged was thin but polyphonic and died away quickly. He began to play the humming tune on it.

She joined her voice with that of the artifact, quietly, not wishing to frighten or disturb. After several repetitions the tune changed; the female opened her mouth and began to bring forth song herself. It was monophonic and pure and she fell in with it, creating echoes and chords and challenging the female to give her more complicated forms.

Eventually the female broke off and laughed; her aura was one of delight. The male ceased playing and regarded both of them silently, but his aura seemed quite contented, if not pleased.

*

She had no idea how long their waking cycle was. It seemed all too soon before her new friends, including the bipeds who had met her first, had to take their leave to sleep. She had had a chance to communicate with many of them and she was tired but happy.

*

When the next cycle arrived, the tall male came with another being, this one shorter and with short hair, whom the male introduced as the leader of their community. The shorter male (she thought she could tell the difference now) inquired after her situation and was pleased that she was enjoying her adventure.

When he tried to communicate his intentions, however, she touched the tall male and requested clarification. He expressed to her that her home had been found and that the ship was proceeding toward it at maximum speed. She immediately regretted that this would hasten the end of her stay, but understood that it was the best course of action. When she inquired how many cycles the journey would take, he replied that one cycle would pass before they arrived at her home.

She expressed gratitude to the leader, who acknowledged it and left, presumably to resume his work. The tall male remained standing, his appendages bent behind him, silent, as if waiting.

She touched him and inquired about the female. She had been singing before, a different song than that of the male. Did they all have their own songs? Why did that of the female sound different from his? How did they produce sound, when they had such limited vocal organs?

His response astonished her. They each had only one voice, but frequently joined them together to form a group song, something her kind never did. They found enjoyment in singing alone or in groups, and some did not sing at all, but used tools like the artifact to produce song. Their voices were limited, but in combination they could produce a wide range of sounds, both singing and something he referred to as "spoken", which she assumed meant the short, limited, tuneless sounds in their audible range.

She laughed. These beings were delightful and fascinating, and as she communicated this to the male his face changed. His expression rarely varied compared to those of the other bipeds, but now she saw that the facial hair above his eyes rose toward the top of his head, and he repeated the sound she had come to identify with him. His sense of amusement made her laugh more, and break into song, and he withdrew from contact so she would feel no restraint in her singing.

She sang for the rest of the cycle. Bipeds entered the cavernous space, which was providing strange and wonderful reverberations, listened for a time, then moved on. The tall male left for a time and when he came back, he had the female, his mate, with him. By then she had been singing for hours and had unwound enough to fill half the room, floating as the song took her. When she saw the pair enter she began to conclude her song and eventually settled back in her corner, refreshed, content.

The rest of the bipeds left, and the tall one and his mate sat on the floor with her and joined their appendages again; she reached out tentatively, anxious about overwhelming the female. They both reached for her and she sensed clearly that they were both prepared for her consciousness this time.

We have little time in which to know you, sent the male. We hope that we may visit your world again soon and continue our friendship.

I'm happy that the events that began so badly have become such a joy for me, she replied. She had told him of her capture and he had promised to investigate the origins of the beings who had taken her. She did not want them taking any more of her kind from her world. But I would gladly go with you anywhere, she sent, using a collective sense.

Now, she requested, show me more of your songs. I must learn all I can, to take back with me and share with my species.

*

She had to let them go eventually; they were ruled by their cycle and tired more quickly than she. The female was wrapped in the male's arms, half-asleep, as she enfolded them both in her appendages. He was still humming but growing fatigued.

You must sleep, she expressed to him. Take your mate and rest.

I must ask, while we have time, he thought. Do you have a name?

Name?

We have a sound that is associated with each of us as an individual. It is our name, and when a being utters it we know it is addressing us. As the majority of beings are not telepathic, it is one of the few ways we may identify each other.

A name. Do you have a name?

My name is Spokh.

She was amused. Such a short, sharp sound.

My full name is S'Chn T'Gai Spokh. The other sounds express my family association. This one, my mate, is called Nyota Uhura. Among friends, she is commonly addressed as Nyota.

That is much more lyrical. She sensed amusement on his part, then asked him, what name would you give me?

His thoughts raced, almost too quickly for her to sense, then he communicated that he would consider the matter and return after he had slept. She acknowledged him and withdrew from their connection, and he lifted his mate, now deeply asleep, in his arms, and slowly left the chamber.

*

After she had slept herself, and the cycle had begun, she sensed activity in her area. There were bipeds in and around the little ship that had brought her here, and the chime of the larger ship had changed once more. When the leader of the ship arrived, she touched him and inquired about the activity and he communicated that their arrival at her home was imminent. She leaped up in joy, then sank back down to ask him, what was his name?

He didn't seem to understand her thought at first. Then she focused on Spokh and Nyota and he was enlightened. Kirk, he communicated. James Kirk.

Such brief syllables, she thought; he didn't understand her, so she expressed her extreme gratitude to him and left it at that.

Presently Spokh and Nyota arrived, along with two others she didn't recognize, and when in contact with her Spokh described the manner in which they would return her to her world. She would need to enter the little ship again - he and the two others would be inside - and they would bring it down on the first stable surface they could find, whence she could fly where she would. When he pictured the place in his mind she recognized it; it was the highest peak in their mountains. She asked if they could not spend time on her world and sensed regret.

We will return, he told her, but for now we must continue our explorations. I trust you will know us when we come together again.

I couldn't do otherwise, she thought. You and your kind are woven into my song now. I will take your songs back and share them and that will be a beginning for both our species.

She embraced him and Nyota together and entered the ship. The chamber was cleared of bipeds and the vast portal opened and they were once again in a void. But her world lay before her and she felt like singing; she resolved to delay until she was in the open, in her own sky, and she could let herself and her song soar.

They landed without incident. Spokh reached out to her and she wound her appendages around him and expressed gratitude and joy.

This is why I am an explorer, he thought.

Then she inquired, What about my name?

He told her, I name you Aoidē, and she sensed its meaning and laughed.

He uttered several brief syllables and through their connection she sensed their meaning also.

"Dif-tor heh smusma". Live long and prosper.

Somehow she knew the appropriate response.

"Sochya eh dif." Peace and long life.

With that she leaped into her own glorious sky and burst into song.

**Author's Note:**

> According to Greek myth, Aoidē was the muse of song.


End file.
